What a Surprise!

What a nice surprise I had today!  My friend Mary and I got together today at Panera Bread.  We hadn't gotten together in a while.  She surprised me with a beautiful burgundy crochet lap blanket that she made.  It is so wonderful and thoughtful.  I love it!  It looks wonderful on my pink hall chair.  But I'm sure to use it tonight when I sit to read the newest issues of Flea Market Gardens and Flea Market Décor.  The newest spring issues are here.


After I left Panera Bread, I stopped at the Sparrows Nest in McHenry.  I found some really nice treasures.  2 Japanese items:  plate and bowl, a kids pattern for a Power Ranger costume, a bag of buttons, a terra cotta angel (for my garden), and an assortment of vintage pins and earrings.  I used my 25% off coupon so I only spent $20 today.  I was so excited. 


There is an estate sale on Kishwaukee Valley Road in Woodstock from today until Sunday.  I'm hoping to shop it tomorrow.  I just hope it doesn't snow.  It sounds great from the ad in the paper.  We'll see.

Jewelry On My Mind

Another day with jewelry on my mind.  I woke up with some new ideas and couldn't wait to try them out.  Since it is too cold outside to do anything, what better way to enjoy the day.


I had found a wonderful aqua stone pin (the pin part was broken) a few years ago at a garage sale.  The woman was selling her moms vintage jewelry.  I loved it! but wasn't sure how I would use it.  I just happened to have the perfect chain for it and just attached it.  Sometimes beauty is just simple.  This piece is simple, but perfect.  It's a keeper.


The other necklace started with a cameo and just blossomed from there.  I had 2 wonderful black vintage sparkly earrings that worked well with it.  Sometimes its just a matter of playing around until the pieces "fit" with each other.  I love how this piece came out also.


Another forecast for sub zero temperatures tomorrow.  I wonder what I will create?

Creating.....Jewelry

Today was a creating jewelry day.  A day to be inside anticipating the arctic cold for the next 2 days with highs of -9.  I was in the mood to stay home and create.

I finished 5 necklaces and 1 pair of earrings.  I  had sooooo much fun putting together vintage pieces to create something fresh and fun.  I especially love cameo pieces and used 2 of them today in the necklaces.  I also love bling and found a way to incorporate that into the pieces.  The contrast of a black and white cameo with sparkly stones is wonderful.  I loved the black and white cameo when I found it a while back.  It could be used as either a pin or pendant.  Since the pin part was broken, I knew that it would become a part of a necklace.  It is such a wonderful piece.    I made one of the necklaces simple with a pretty blue stone pendant.  I also had some rhinestone pieces that I made into earrings.  I had used the other part of them a few weeks back in a necklace.  It's fun to take apart a piece and be able to use all of it for something else.  Nothing goes to waste. 

Close to 30 years ago when I was visiting in Sausalito California, I bought a great pair of bronze filigree earrings.  They are large and fun and I loved them!  I wore them constantly.  Fast forward to today.  I haven't worn them in over 20 years, but still think that they are wonderful.  So, I used them in a long strand necklace.  It looks great.  I am so glad that they will still be worn and not just hidden away.

I love the idea that vintage pieces can be transformed into something that can be cherished today.  It is fun to create pieces of jewelry like that.  Did I mention that I had lots of fun creating jewelry today? 

I Drove Through the Blowing Snow.....

I drove through the blowing snow to get to a Caring Transitions estate sale in Woodstock on Applewood Lane off of McConnell Road in Woodstock.  McConnell road had so much snow blowing onto it that I almost slid off of it a couple of times.  But, I trudged on.  I'm glad that I did.  I found 2 fabulous cement statues for the garden.  One of mushrooms and the other is a frog spouting fountain.  Nothing better to get me into gardening mode and thinking of spring.  The price was right at $10 each.  I sat through a Seed class last night at the U of I Master Gardener office in Woodstock and thoughts of spring haven't left me yet.  After today's weather, I don't think that we are even close to spring yet.  Oh well!


There is a kids book sale (some adult books too) at the Algonquin Township Office this weekend.  I stopped in today and found some nice books and comics.  Kids books are 50 cents each and adult books are $1 each.  Since I'll be inside, some new reads are a good idea.


I looked at the estatesales.net website and saw that there are estate sales in the next few weeks close by.  Treasure hunting will keep me from going stir crazy.

Sewing Pillows

Another few days of sewing more pillows.  The unfinished quilt tops are fabulous.  I didn't want to just leave them in a drawer, so I finished the edges and made them into pillows.  I bought the unfinished quilt tops at a garage sale this summer and knew right away that they would make great pillow covers.  I love to sew pillows.   You can get as creative as you want with them.  They make quick changes to any décor.  I change them seasonally in my home, but I always manage to keep some of my favorites out all year long.


I stock up with zippers at JoAnn Fabrics when I have 50% off coupons.  I used fabric from my stock for the back.  I'm always buying fabric at sales even though my closet is pretty full.


I wanted to mention that the Gardenfest brochure is on the website for McHenry County College in Crystal Lake.  The class listing is extensive and the classes cover so many different gardening topics.  I'm so pleased with how well the planning has come along.  This will be a great Gardenfest.  I hope all of you plan on being there on April 5!


There is a gardening weekend Feb 7- 9 in Madison Wisconsin at the Alliant Energy Center.  It sounds like a fun weekend or day trip.  Melinda Myers is giving a few classes and I have always wanted to hear her presentations.  There are quite a few gardening workshops in the next few months.  For those of us who can't wait to get our hands into the dirt, these classes are lifesavers.  It makes spring seem right around the corner.

Springtime?...Flower Pins

I haven't visited the Salvation Army thrift store in McHenry in a long time.  Today was the day.  I was pleasantly surprised to see that it has become better organized and cleaner.  Those were a few of the reasons that I hadn't been in there for awhile.  After today, I will visit there more often.


As usual, I stopped at the jewelry counter first.  I found some wonderful vintage springtime? vintage flower pins.  I really adore those pins.  These were white and yellow.  I also found a vintage goldtone flower pin and a goldtone bracelet.  The prices were great from $2-$3 each.  As I was walking around the store, I spotted a Continental hammered aluminum handled tray for $2.50.  Of course, I had to have it.  I loved the design of the handle.


I'm looking forward to treasure hunting at the Salvation Army thrift store again soon.  I'll add it on my pathtojunkentreasure.

Thinking of Summer.......

It's another day inside with -14 degrees this morning and a high forecast of 4 degrees.  Another day that the boys are off of school.  Boy are they excited!  So, I'm thinking ahead to warmer days and summertime by the water.  When I woke up this morning, the thermostat had stopped working and my second floor was 42 degrees.  It has taken most of the day today to warm back up. 


I was sewing in my chilly room, but hoping that thoughts of the beach would warm me up.  (I managed to sew through the chills).  I made 2 pillows today with a sailboat/water theme.  I had purchased the unfinished boat quilt pieces from a garage sale this past summer and knew that I wanted to make them into a pillow.  I used blue sailboat fabric that I also found a while back at a sale for the back of the pillow.  I had to finish the quilt blocks with blue and red borders.  They came out really nice.  I just may keep these for myself. 


When I bought the boat unfinished quilt pieces, I also bought other unfinished quilt pieces.  I was just looking through my fabric collection and found some pieces to finish them with.  More pillows are on the way.....


But I'm taking a break now to eat the brownies that just finished baking!

Sewing....pillows

Since I'm pretty much snowed in, I sewed another rooster pillow.  I decided that this one would be without trim since the fabric is so pretty on its own.  I had already sewed a rooster pillow the other day with black and white trim.  I love how they both turned out!  I am out of lots of decorative trim and can't wait for treasure hunting to begin to find more.

Tomorrow school is closed since the wind chills will be around -40 degrees.  I want to sew a few more pillows with a summer theme.  (Maybe that will help me to cope with the cold weather.)

It's nice to be inside when it's snowing.  Last night, the boys and I were driving home from Loves Park and it took us so long in the snow.  It was scary and nerve wracking.  I'm thankful that we made it home safely.  So, tomorrow, we will be inside where we can just watch the snow from where it's safe.  Drive safely in the snow and try to keep warm.

Happy New Year!

Hope your New Year is filled with love, good health and happiness.    And warmth.  We have had soooo much snow recently and freezing temperatures that I have stayed inside and worked on some projects.  I am busy making pillows that I will post in a few days. 

I usually keep the Christmas decorations up until after Jan 7 (since I celebrate Serbian Orthodox Christmas on that day), but since the temperature has kept us inside, I finished putting it all away today.  I'm sorry to see it go.  I love Christmas.  It seems to have come and gone quicker than ever.
In its place, I decorated with red, pink and hearts for Valentine's day.  I love to display the upcoming holiday in advance so that I can enjoy it.  So, while the wind is howling tonight and blowing the snow around, I'm enjoying all that is Valentine's day decorating.  I have some great crochet pieces with roses on them in pink and red that I have chosen to display.  They are so wonderful to look at.  I'm always on the lookout for crochet doilies.

I'm lining up projects to work on.  I'm sure that I'll have a lot of time in the next few weeks to work on them since the cold will keep me inside feeling crafty.